Disease treatment in horses encompasses a range of medical interventions and management strategies aimed at addressing various health conditions affecting equine species. These treatments can include pharmacological approaches, such as the administration of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antiparasitic medications, as well as non-pharmacological methods like physical therapy, dietary adjustments, and surgical procedures. The selection of appropriate treatments depends on the specific disease, its severity, and the individual needs of the horse. This topic brings together peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the efficacy, safety, and advancements in therapeutic options for equine diseases, providing insights into best practices and emerging trends in equine veterinary medicine.
Steffey EP, Howland D.The minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of halothane which just prevented purposeful movement in response to electrical stimulation was determined in 11 young, healthy, unpremedicated horses breathing oxygen (O2) or nitrous oxide (N2O) and O2. Ventilation was controlled during these MAC studies. The arterial PO2 was always greater than 90 mm of Hg and the average PaCO2. range was 36 to 40 mm of Hg. The MAC for halothane in O2 was 0.93 vol %. Alveolar N2O concentrations of 25% and 50% reduced the halothane MAC about 12% and 25%, respectively. In 8 of these horses, the cardiovascular effects of...
Aguilera-Tejero E, Pascoe JR, Smith BL, Woliner MJ.To investigate the influence of increased respiratory frequency on respiratory mechanics in the horse, measurements were made in two groups of seven tracheostomized horses before and after the administration of doxapram. The horses in group I had normal base line values for respiratory mechanics, whereas the horses in group II had significantly lower values of dynamic compliance (Cdyn), higher respiratory resistance (R), and a higher total change in pleural pressure (delta P). The administration of 0.3 mg kg-1 doxapram intravenously resulted in a significant increase in respiratory frequency (...
Riddolls LJ, Byford GG, McKee SL.The biological and imaging characteristics of technetium-99m imidodiphosphate (Tc99m-IDP) were measured in 4 horses once and in 1 horse twice. All computational results are expressed with 95.5% (mean +/- 2 SD) confidence limits. The clearance half-time of the radiopharmaceutical from the blood was 29.6 +/- 2.3 min. The percentage of the administered dose circulating in the whole-blood volume at 4 h was 3.9 +/- 0.8%. The Tc99m-IDP radioactivity confined at the plasma fraction of the whole blood at 4 h was 85.3 +/- 1.6%. At 8 h, approximately 45 +/- 16% of the dose administered had been excreted...
Winberg FG, Pettersson H.Twenty horses with central and third tarsal bone slab fractures, were treated internal fixation. Eighteen of the 20 cases were Standardbred trotters, one was a Thoroughbred racehorse and one a Swedish Warmblood. The central tarsal bone (CT) was involved in 12 cases and the third tarsal bone (T3) in 8 cases. The fractures were treated by lag screw fixation with one (18 cases) or two (2 cases) 3.5 or 4.5 mm cortical screws. Horses were confined to stall rest for one month and then put on a gradually increasing exercise programme. Convalescence time was 3-8 months until the fracture had healed an...
Rugh KS, Ross CR, Sarazan RD, Boatwright RB, Williams DO, Garner HE, Griggs DM.We evaluated the loss of coronary collateral function in the absence of stimulation (disuse inhibition) by doubling the interval between successive left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusions in ponies in which collateral function initially had been enhanced by 2-min occlusions at 30-min intervals. Before collateralization, occlusion caused segment systolic shortening, velocity of shortening, and stroke work index in the LAD-dependent left ventricular apex to decrease, whereas heart rate and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increased. After 476 +/- 102 occlusions, segment ...
Staszyk C.The routine inspection of the equine oral cavity allows a numerical assessment of the teeth and provides information about positional changes within the dentition. By use of appropriate dental equipment, the occlusal surfaces of all teeth can be inspected and diagnosed. However, neither the teeth nor their occlusal surfaces are constant structures. Instead, equine teeth and, in particular, their occlusal surfaces are subjected to continuous morphological and positional changes due to the effects of aging and the equine-specific high amount of occlusal wear. Therefore, it is mandatory to define...
Adams JG, Trim CM.Five horses were anaesthetised twice with thiopentone sodium, guaifenesin and halothane. The second anaesthesia was 16 days after the first and two days following oral administration of trichlorfon. Heart rate, carotid arterial, pulmonary arterial and right atrial pressures, cardiac output and blood temperature were measured every 15 minutes for 120 minutes. Heart rate, carotid arterial pressure and cardiac output were similar on both occasions. Pulmonary arterial and right atrial pressures were highest during anaesthesia after treatment with trichlorfon when compared with values obtained befo...
Kuemmerle JM, Kühn K, Bryner M, Fürst AE.To evaluate if the use of locking head screws (LHS) in the distal holes of a locking compression plate (LCP) applied to the caudal aspect of the ulna to treat equine ulnar fractures is associated with a risk of injury to the lateral cortex of the radius. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Cadaveric equine forelimbs (n = 8 pair). Methods: After transverse ulnar osteotomy, osteosynthesis was performed with a narrow 10-13 hole 4.5/5.0 LCP applied to the caudal aspect of each ulna. The distal 3 holes were filled with 4.5 mm cortex screws (CS) in 1 limb (group 1) and with 5.0 mm LHS con...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW.Oxfendazole paste formulation was administered intraorally at a dosage of 10 mg/kg of body weight, twice (48 hours between treatments) in 5 controlled tests (experiments A, B, C, D, and E) to 18 equids (14 horses and 4 ponies) that were 5 to 24 months old in 1986 and 1987. Activity was evaluated against naturally acquired infections of various internal parasites, with emphasis on migratory stages of Strongylus vulgaris and S edentatus. The number of treated and nontreated equids in each experiment (horses in experiments A to D and ponies in experiment E) was: A, 1 and 1; B, 3 and 3; C, 3 and 1...
Garbís SD, Hanley L, Kalita S.Thiazide-based diuretics are included in the list of banned drugs in the horse-racing industry. One effect of their misuse is increased urine flow, contributing to dilution of other doping agents. Their determination is essential in ensuring compliance to horse-racing regulation. This study evaluates the feasibility of using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces to analyze thiazidic diuretics in equine urine samples. Existing LC and gas chromatography/MS methods are limited in their applicability to thiazide an...
Schneider C, Müller FP, Bertschi I.We describe the utilization of the Abbott Vision system in a horse clinic and a comparison with the Compur M 2000 CS (Bayer Diagnostics and Electronics). Discrepancies were found in respect to precision and accuracy of results. Both systems showed good practicability during routine operation but different cost-effectiveness.
Katz LM, Ragle CA.Horses with tears that involve all layers of the rectum except the mesocolon (grade IIIb) have a poor prognosis for survival because of the difficulty in treating these wounds and the propensity for them to progress to full perforations (grade IV). Most treatments for grade-IIIb rectal tears involve surgery of some kind, but not all grade-IIIb rectal tears require surgical intervention. We report on 4 horses with grade-IIIb rectal tears that were evaluated via palpation per rectum and endoscopy. Two of 4 horses were admitted with signs consistent with shock and endotoxemia, and evaluation of a...
Inoue Y, Sekiguchi M.Therapeutic techniques for oviductal obstruction in the mare are limited. Nonsurgical and retrograde flushing may be an attractive alternative to current treatment methods for oviductal blockage. Objective: To evaluate hysteroscopic selective hydrotubation as a treatment option for presumptive equine oviductal blockage. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: A quantity of 10 mL of saline was flushed through the oviducts in 28 standing sedated mares, which had reproductive histories of unexplained subfertility, by inserting a catheter into the uterotubal junction under endoscopic guidance...
Plevin S, McLellan J.The occurrence of bucked shins in young Thoroughbred racehorses in North America is high. Although an altered training regime has demonstrated a significant decrease in this condition, trainers can be opposed to altering something as fundamental as their training routine. Periosteal scraping of the third metacarpal bone (McIII) is a putative prophylactic technique used to prevent bucked shins; therefore, a study to investigate the validity of the procedure is warranted. Objective: To investigate whether prophylactic McIII scraping: 1) reduces the incidence of bucked shins in juvenile Thoroughb...
McInturff C, Zanotto G, McInturff M, Hendrickson D.Injection of the equine navicular bursa can be technically challenging, and inadvertent penetration of other synovial structures is common using previously described techniques. When injecting the navicular bursa, inadvertent penetration of other synovial structures and hoof configuration can affect success rate, especially when performed by inexperienced operators. The aim of this study is to describe an alternate radiographic guided technique for injection of the equine navicular bursa that consistently avoids penetration of the distal interphalangeal joint using a 40 mm (1.5-inch) 20-gauge ...
Burton AG, Clark KC, Borjesson DL, Carrade DD, Burges J, Owens SD.Volume reduction and RBC depletion of equine bone marrow specimens are necessary processing steps for the immediate therapeutic use of bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), and for MSC expansion in culture. Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the ability of the PrepaCyte-CB processing system to reduce volume, deplete RBC, and recover mononuclear cells (MNC) from equine BM specimens. Methods: One hundred and twenty mL of heparinized BM were obtained from each of 90 horses. A CBC was performed on the BM pre- and post-PrepaCyte-CB processing. Volume and RBC reduct...
Cantatore F, Marcatili M, Pagliara E, Bertuglia A, Withers J. This article evaluates and compares the diffusion pattern of radiopaque contrast medium following perineural analgesia of the deep branch of the lateral plantar nerve performed using two different techniques: weight-bearing or flexed. Methods: This was an experimental study. Methods: Eight horses were enrolled. Perineural injection of the right and left deep branch lateral plantar nerves was performed with a weight-bearing or flexed technique, using radiopaque contrast medium (iohexol). Radiographic evaluation was performed after 5 (T5), 15 (T15) and 30 (T30) minutes. The diffusion o...
Speirs VC, Bourke JM, Anderson GA.Four variations of abductor muscle prosthesis for treating laryngeal hemiplegia were evaluated in 153 horses by questionnaire, and in the 100 Thoroughbred racehorses in this group survival analysis was used to compare their racing performances and earnings with those of 400 control horses. The questionnaire indicated that the technique which included a ventriculectomy and 2 prostheses was regarded as being the most successful (P less than 0.01) and resulted in the least residual stertor (P less than 0.001). Survival analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the treated g...
Adkins AR, Yovich JV, Steel CM.To evaluate the outcome of 17 horses that underwent surgical arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints for treatment of lameness due to osteoarthritis. Methods: Retrospective clinical study using client-owned animals. Methods: Horses with hindlimb lameness were diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the distal tarsal joints following relief of lameness after intra-articular anaesthesia or intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Surgery to stimulate ankylosis was performed on 27 hocks by placing 3 diverging 3.2 mm drill holes approximately 3 cm through the tarsometatarsal and...
Worthington RW, Mülders MS.Antibodies against epsilon toxin were isolated from hyperimmune horse serum by affinity chromatography. Purified epsilon prototoxin covalently bound to Affigel 202 was used as immunosorbent, and antibodies were eluted with 6.0 M guanidine chloride. In a single run 80 mg of antibody could be recovered from a 20 microliter column of immunosorbent. The antibody was shown to belong to the IgG(T) class of immunoglobulins.
Weston MC, Cunningham FM, Collins ME.CCL11 (also known as eotaxin) is a very potent and selective mediator of eosinophil migration which exerts its effects through its receptor, CCR3. In this study we report the cloning of an equine CCR3 cDNA sequence and investigation of the localization of CCR3 mRNA expression in horse tissues. Equine CCR3 displayed high levels of sequence identity with CCR3 sequences in other species. RT-PCR analysis revealed the expression of CCR3 in colon, lung and spleen of normal horses. In situ hybridisation experiments indicated that expression of CCR3 mRNA in colon was predominantly in eosinophils and t...
Duvivier DH, Chiap P, Crommen J, Lekeux P.The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breathing pattern, air humidity and position of the device on the delivery of an aerosol generated by a dry powder inhalation (DPI) device (Inhalator M). The in vitro inhalation study was performed using the cascade impaction method (Andersen Sampler) adapted to imitate nasal breathing. The amount of ipratropium found in the device, the artificial upper airways and the six stages of the Andersen Sampler was measured using high precision liquid chromatography. Stage 1 of the Andersen Sampler was considered to be the respirable fraction and st...
Almeida da Silveira E, Levasseur A, Lacourt M, Elce Y, Petit Y.To compare the biomechanical properties of a hybrid locking compression plate (LCP) construct with the compression screw technique as a treatment for transverse mid-body proximal sesamoid bone fractures. Methods: Ten paired forelimbs from abattoir horses were used. The medial proximal sesamoid bone of each limb was osteotomized transversely and randomly assigned, to either repair with a two-hole 3.5 mm LCP or a 4.5 mm cortical screw placed in lag fashion. Each limb was tested biomechanically by axial loading in single cycle until failure. The point of failure was evaluated from the load-displa...
Fey K, Klatt P, Schmidt H, Sasse HH.Five healthy horses were given a sulfadoxine/trimethoprim combination (Borgal, Hoechst AG) i.v. on day 1. The next ten days the horses got once a day a sulfadimethoxine/trimethoprim combination orally (Trafigal, Hoechst AG). The doses were given as recommended. One horse received no medicaments for control. On each horse six bronchoalveolar lavages were performed. Blood samples were taken to calculate blood levels and elimination half lives. To determine the amount of substances in lavage fluid and plasma the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used. Regularly low quantities of s...
Presson BL, Hamm D, Yazwinski TA, Pote LM.Critical tests were performed on 6 horses to evaluate the antiparasitic effectiveness of oxfendazole given in combination with trichlorfon in a paste formulation. Treatments were given orally as a single dose. The rates of active ingredient administration were 2.5 and 40 mg/kg of body weight for oxfendazole and trichlorfon, respectively. The combined activities of the 2 antiparasitic compounds proved 100% efficacious in the removal of adult Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, Oxyuris equi, and Parascaris equorum. Fourth stage O equi, and 2nd and 3rd instars of Gasterophilus nasalis also were com...
Ahern BJ, Richardson DW.To report repair of a comminuted distal humeral type II Salter-Harris fracture using an ulnar osteotomy approach and locking compression plates (LCP). Methods: Case report. Methods: A 3-month-old Standardbred filly with a type II Salter-Harris fracture of the distal humerus. Methods: Radiographic and computed tomography examinations were performed to assist surgical planning. The distal humeral fracture was approached by an ulnar osteotomy and repaired using a 7-hole broad LCP and screws inserted in lag fashion. The osteotomy was subsequently repaired using a 7-hole narrow LCP. Results: The di...
Aldrich ED, Goodrich LR, Contino EK, Kawcak CE, Barrett MF, King MR, Valdés-Martínez A.CASE DESCRIPTION A 12-year-old mixed-breed mare (horse 1) and 6-year-old Friesian gelding (horse 2) were examined for chronic lameness associated with the stifle joint. CLINICAL FINDINGS Lameness examination revealed effusion of the right (horse 1) or left (horse 2) femoropatellar and medial femorotibial joints and grade 3/5 (horse 1) or 4/5 (horse 2) lameness. A diagnosis of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury with associated mineralization and avulsion (horse 1) or mineralization alone (horse 2) was facilitated in both horses with a caudomedial-craniolateral oblique radiographic view obta...
Asin J, Nyaoke AC, Samol MA, Arthur RM, Uzal FA.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is a common cause of small intestinal colic in horses and may lead to intestinal strangulation. Strangulating intestinal obstruction impairs the gastrointestinal outflow and can lead to secondary gastric rupture and endotoxemia. Clostridioides difficile can cause enterotyphlocolitis with colic in horses of all ages, and the process is commonly referred to as C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Here we report the results of the postmortem examination of a 7-y-old Thoroughbred racehorse with concurrent CDAD, EFE, and gastric rupture that was euthanized follo...
Dabareiner RM, White NA, Sullins KE.Case records and radiographs of 71 horses with subchondral lucency, without radiographic evidence of fracture, located on the distal radial carpal bone were examined retrospectively. All horses had lameness and/or joint effusion referable to the carpus. Distal radial carpal bone subchondral lucency was found as a solitary lesion or as a lesion concurrent and symmetric to a contralateral distal radial carpal bone chip fracture. The lesion appeared radiographically as a lucency or shadow on the distal dorsal margin of the radial carpal bone and was most evident on the flexed lateromedial and dor...
McCarthy HE, Singer ER, Davies Morel MC.This study compared the effect of sodium heparin and gentamicin sulphate on equine articular cartilage (AC) explants in order to investigate the possible use of sodium heparin in the treatment of infectious arthritis. Six concentrations of sodium heparin and gentamicin sulphate were tested. The supernatant and explant digest were assayed for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content with the dimethyl-methylene blue assay and the per cent loss of GAG was calculated. A significant (P< 0.001) increase in percentage GAG loss was noted for the sodium heparin groups when compared to the control, whilst no ...
